The author also does a much better job in this work of including a diverse line-up of potential suspects and spending time with them than in the previous novel.
"CROPS AND ROBBERS," by Paige Shelton, Berkley Prime Crime, $7.99, 292 pages (f)
Local author Paige Shelton has dished up yet another tasty mystery in her latest novel, “Crops and Robbers.” This is the third installment in the Farmers’ Market Mystery series.
This time, Becca — jam maker extraordinaire — is anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Central South Carolina Restaurant Association, a group that can make or break a vendor’s good name. Unfortunately, her reputation is slightly smudged when the association’s president, Joan Ashworth, sticks up her nose at Becca’s homemade strawberry preserves.
Shelton provides a nice twist in that Becca’s free-spirited parents are visiting and witness the fiasco. This becomes the catalyst in yet another sticky situation for Becca as she returns home that day and finds Joan dead in her barn. Her mother stands nearby with blood on her hands.
Naturally, Becca takes it upon herself to investigate once again and get to the bottom of the crime.
This inclusion of Becca’s family in such a personal way is an effective tool in drawing the reader in, even if it takes a little time in coming. But once her mother is arrested, it’s easy to empathize with Becca’s urgency to solve the murder and it even justifies her occasionally over-the-top snooping techniques.
The author also does a much better job in this work of including a diverse line-up of potential suspects and spending time with them than in the previous novel. In fact, Bailey's Farmers' Market has a great potential for quirky characters to take center stage in future works as well.
Though the plot is still a little lacking in sophistication, it moves along nicely. Readers will also get a nice taste of a potential love triangle between Becca's artsy love interest and the principled police officer who's willing to wait in the wings. And, of course, the recipes at the end of the book nicely top off this otherwise satisfying mystery.
Kim Grant has two novels published through Covenant Communications. Her website is at www.kcgrant.com.